Solana’s Co-founder Raises Alarm Over Bitcoin’s Quantum Future

Bitcoin’s cryptography could face a major stress test within the next decade, according to Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko.

Speaking at the All-In Summit 2025, Yakovenko argued that the world’s largest cryptocurrency should prepare for a potential quantum breakthrough that could undermine its core security model.

Yakovenko estimated a “50/50” chance that quantum computers could, within five years, run algorithms capable of breaking the Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA). This cryptographic standard safeguards private keys and ensures transaction authenticity. If compromised, malicious actors could forge transfers, seize wallets, and destabilize the network.

His proposed solution is a migration to quantum-resistant signature schemes, though such a shift would likely require a complex hard fork of the Bitcoin blockchain. That prospect makes it one of the most technically and politically challenging upgrades in the network’s history.

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Not everyone shares Yakovenko’s urgency. Blockstream CEO Adam Back and Bitcoin Core developer Peter Todd downplayed the near-term threat, noting that large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum machines remain theoretical. Still, even skeptics acknowledge the need for long-term research into post-quantum cryptography.

The debate underscores a broader tension within crypto: innovation on one side, caution on the other. For Bitcoin, often criticized for moving slowly on upgrades, the quantum question could become unavoidable as governments and tech giants pour billions into quantum research. Whether the network adapts proactively or waits until the threat is imminent remains to be seen.